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I just finished reading Jason Lee miller’s terrific post on Web Pro News “24 Ways to Get and Keep a Customer“.

In it, he references a Future Now’s 2007 Retail Customer Experience Study that every business owner with a Website should be aware of.

The study states that a 2007 Forrester survey revealed, “only 26% of online consumers were simply satisfied with their shopping experience. This suggests a whopping 74% – three-quarters of online shoppers – weren’t even satisfied. And what of the remaining 26%? They weren’t delighted. They were merely “satisfied.” In other words, the shopping experience was, at best, adequate.”

Twice recently I was personally reminded of how bad some Website shopping experiences can really be-as well as what a stellar shopping experience is like. In the course of one day, I had shopping experience that ranged from frustrating, to great, to near perfection.

Let’s start with perfection…

First, I went looking for a place to send the rear shock on my mountain bike to be overhauled. Usually you send them back to the manufacturer, then wait 4-6 weeks to get it back.

I wasn’t happy about this ideaEspecially since I’d procrastinated on taking care of this over the winter and now biking season is here. The last thing I want to do is be bikeless but my shock is shot an leaking oil. So I went online to find the address for the manufacturer’s repair shop.

Only I couldn’t find it anywhere. Even though my shock is pretty popular, I had zero luck finding the manufacturer’s Website at all.

Thankfully, I found two Websites for independent repair shops that could overhaul my shock. And one (http://www.thebrokenbike.com) was, quite frankly, one of the best examples of a small business e-commerce Website I’ve ever seen!!

• Everything was well-organized and easy to read and navigate.

• His buy now buttons were big and obvious.

• He had his picture and the story of how he came to start this business that added tons of credibility.

• He included testimonials for even more credibility.

• And he had audio and video explaining the entire processFrom the best way to ship your bike part, to what he’s going to do to make it like new again.

On top of all that, he made a promise I couldn’t resist big and bold… Same day turnaround.

I was sold and sent my shock in yesterday. If he delivers as promised, I should be riding on my overhauled shock next week (woohoo!).

Now, because of my needing to rebuild my shock (and the fact that I’ve never been thrilled with how it, or my bike, ride), I’ve also been considering selling this bike and upgrading.

So I started surfing bicycle Websites in search of a new steed.

I’ve been mountain biking pretty avidly for about 5 years, but I’m not a total gearhead about it. I couldn’t tell you which front forks have more travel, or why I would want one disc brake over another. And I certainly don’t know the features and benefits of all the different bikes models and components by name.

As a result, the first Website I went to (http://www.santacruzmtb.com/home/) totally lost me. Rather than dividing out the bikes by style or ideal use, they just had a list of names and icons. So I had to click on each one to see whether or not it was a bike might be interested in (a huge PIA!).

Then, when I got there, I couldn’t easily find the info that was most important to me (namely, a simple statement of what type of riding the bike is designed for, and how much travel the shocks have).

Clearly they geared their site towards more gearhead riders. But they lost a sale by not communicating enough for the average, non-technical mountain biker to make a buying decision. And I don’t think they would lose the gearheads by offering more info.

Needless to say I left that site and went to another…

The Kona site was a whole different ball of wax. It immediately helped me locate the bikes that would be the best fit for me via an interactive questionnaire. In seconds I was looking at exactly what I wanted.

On top of that, the bike descriptions were really helpful in explaining what the bike was best suited for, as well as giving me the key feature info I needed. Now I’m seriously considering buying one of their bikes.

The only negative is that their banner picture is a bit too big. So when I first clicked on the site, and it opened in a half-size window, I couldn’t find the navigation. Other than that the site was easy and intuitive to use.

The bottom line is, if you’re focused on driving traffic to your site, that’s great. But it’s a waste of time and money if you’re site doesn’t do a good job at helping people find what they want and give them enough info to confidently make a purchase.

Jason’s article lists some terrific tips to help you make your Website visitor’s buying experience better than adequate.

For even more helpful info on how to turn your Website into a highly effective salesperson, check out my latest e-book The Small Business Website Bible.

Have you found a Website you either love or hate? Are there certain things you always look for, or that always drive you nuts, when you’re shopping online?

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About the Author: Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas, founder of SuccessStream Sales & Marketing Solutions, specializes in taking the stress, struggle and confusion out of growing your small business. She's the author of the 2-page marketing plan workbook Putting Your Business on the Road to Success, and The Small Business Website Bible. Stacy also writes the fun and informative Marketing Junkie blog and Bright Ideas weekly newsletter. For more practical, business-building wisdom help yourself to a copy of her free report The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins... Are You Guilty?